National Republican., 1887-03-15
Why worlsingmon Should be Ropubli-
cana.


Mr.. Daniels, of Virginia, in the able COM
munication published In the NATIONAL Re-
PUBLICAN Monday morning, commenting on
the proposal to divide the white vote Of the
south, says:
Now the natural alliance of this awakened
class Of workingmen is with those who believe
in the positive duty of the national govern
ment to sec that labor has full employment at
large wages, and homes worthy of American
freemen. Call this paternal or what you please,
the theory here described is that which has to
be in this land. This much organized labor
has determined, and there dwells not on this
or any other side of heaven the power that can
resist this just demand.
This means that the worliingmen of the
south, as well as those of the north, should
unite themselves with tho Republican
party, but taken with the preceding and
succeeding paragraphs places the reasons
for this action upon what is to be done In
the future rather than what has been done
in the past.
The Republican party certainly promises
most, because Of its well known principles,
to the future prosperity of all classes OF
people, but the hand workers, the men
whose muscle produces their subsistence,
already owe the Republican party a debt Of
gratitude for what 1t has done.
The Democratic free trade, or "tariff for
revenue only" idea had prevailed for
twenty-five years anterior to 1860, and 1t Is
only necessary to compare the wages paid
to workmen then anu the wages paid In
1850, after twenty years Of Republican pro-
lection to American labor, and In making
the comparison 1t must be remembered that
in 1880 the country was Just recovering
from period Of terrible depression.
This comparison will show that the
wages Of all classes Of men who do manual
labor were from forty TO one hundred per
cent. higher in 1850 than they were in 1860
and If the comparison is brought down to
1887 1t will be shown that they have stead
lily increased during that period.
There is no way to account for this in
crease in wages but one. The Republican
party adopted the policy OF protection, this
caused manufactures Of all kinds to be
established, making demand for labor and
increasing its value.
In 1850 there was capital OF 81 ,0i0, ,000,-
| eco invested in manufactures Of all kinds,
| giving employment to 1911, 900 persons,
whoreceived average wages OF $2sS, making
total Of S370, 900 paid in wages; the
materials used in these various mauufac.
tories cost S1,031 sos, COO, and the manu-
factured product was worth sl,SS5, ,S61 900
In 1850 the capital invested in manufactor
les had increased to So, 100, 600, 900, the nun
Der Of workers to 2, 100000, the average oi
wages to 1857, making the total wages
paid S947,954,0 600, the amount of materia
used to 3,397, 100000, and the products o.
the factories to 5,3TO, 100000.
This average to working people includes
women and children-all who receive
wages OF any kind-the wages of mer
having advanced much beyond what /:
shown by this average, as is shown by the
following comparisons taken at random
from volume twenty OF the Census Report
Agricultural implements-Five men, wage
in 1850, $i02 per day; in 1850, so. Sc pc
day. Boots and Shoes wages of fou
men, 1860, $3.50 per day; 1880, S10.10 pc
day. Another boot and shoe factory-Thre
men, 1860, wages, 1898 per day; 1880, :
per day. Blast furnace (Himrod wages @
ten men in 1860, SIS 3S per day; 1886
S3G.GS per day. Another blast furnace i
Maryland-1sG0, nine men, wages $l3 ps
day; 1850, 500 20 per day. Stove foundr
in 1llinois-1sG0, seventeen men, wage
$3.50 per day; 1880, S35 so per day. AT
other in ST. Louis-1S60, fourteen mel
wages, $500 per day; 1850, S37 30 per ds,
Here are sixty-two men engaged in VI
iious laboiious occupations in' 1860 wll
received daily one hundred and one dolla
and ffty-thrcc cents, an average Of or
dollar and sixty-four cents each, and sxt
two men doing precisely similar work, bl
working two hours less per day In 1sS
who received daily one hundred and fitt,
nine dollars and fifty,six cents, or an al
erage of two dollars and fifty.seven cent
an average increase of ninety. three cent
or ilftyseveu per cent. on each days wor
This is what the Republican party did
the worlsingmen of the country in its fit
twenty years of power, and wages are st
being increased, while the price of Il
, articles produced is being diminished, as '
shall chew in future issue.
, DO the workingmen of the countr
north or south, want any better evidence
the fact that the economic policy of the Il
publican party is the policy that uphol
their interests?